holiday parks & resorts


• restrictive legislation • competitor sectors growing e.g. Airbnb • weather and impact of seasonality


seasonality The majority of holiday parks/campsites (58 per cent) operated seasonally with 42 per cent open all year round. The majority (69 per cent) are open from late March to the end of October. Holiday park/campsite operators were


asked to report their typical occupancy rates for each month opened. Occupancy rates in UK holiday parks/


campsites peaked at 70 per cent in high season (August) and 54 per cent in mid- season (September). Low season average occupancy ranged from a low of 12 per cent in December to a high of 30 per cent in March.


visitors Visitors to UK holiday parks and campsites stayed up to 74 per cent longer and spent up to 60 per cent more than the national tourism average. The majority of the survey participants


lived in England (80 per cent) and just under half of respondents (44 per cent) stayed on a holiday or touring/camping park/site in the UK five times or more during the last 12 months. Seventy-six per cent of visitors had


stayed in a touring caravan, motorhome or tent over the course of the year, 16 per cent stayed in a rented or owner-occupied caravan holiday home; while five per cent stayed in a rented or owner-occupied lodge/chalet/ cottage. Two per cent stayed in ‘glamping’ accommodation. The average adult group size was 2.2,


and 25 per cent of all groups included children. Where parties were travelling with children, the average number of children in each group was 1.8. Thirty-five per cent of groups brought a pet. Visitors who stayed in rented or touring


accommodation spent, on average, £557 per visit (per group), including £250 on-site and £207 off-site. Visitors who owned their holiday home spent, on average, £480 (per group) per visit, including £286 on-site and £194 off-site. This is a substantial increase on the average UK tourism visitor spend


(per trip) in 2017 of £196 i.e. £64 per day. Visitors also tend to take lengthy stays,


on average 4.6 days. This is longer than the average stay figures of 3.1 days reported by the GB Annual Tourist Report.


engagement and environment Of the 790 holiday parks/campsites, almost half (47 per cent) provided information on how they engage with the local community, the most frequently occurring included: • promotion and sponsorship of local events – including leaflet display and local information


• fundraising – including historic landmarks, sports events and local charities


• actively promoting local producers, suppliers restaurants and shops


• working with community groups and community councils


• social media advertising and signposting Over half of holiday park/campsite operators (54 per cent) provided information on how they supported environmental improvement at their holiday park/campsite, the most frequently occurring included: • recycling – which was highlighted by the majority and included the education of guests and some started phasing out of plastics


• energy and water conservation – through water harvesting, solar panels, light sensors and low wattage solutions, compost toilets


• David Bellamy Award participation – some have now achieved gold


• support for local wildlife – including a range of conservation projects, some were engaged in sites of special scientific interest (SSSI)


• sustainable accommodation – including upcycling of materials


• restricted vehicle movement – some have no car policy “This is a groundbreaking report that


clearly demonstrates the important benefits to the economy brought by the UK’s many holiday parks and campsites,” said Bob Hill, who led the UKCCA joint working group. “We want to use this compelling


evidence to ensure key influencers and decision-makers support the development and growth of our industry at a national, regional and individual business level for the benefit of our economy and for holidaymakers themselves.”


www.ukcca.org.uk


16 leisuredab.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43